Wednesday, July 30, 2014

my new friend aaron aka A money has this new rap love song withe the lyrics on the screen. he is losing his vision to r p and his music is really impressive. I hope you listen comment and share. thanks for listening, max LOVING YOU BLIND-AARON MORSE W/LYRICS

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Blind Student and Teacher: using click to tweet adding google business pages ...

Hello; this is my latest post for the new blog where I am sharing more of my personal story. This week its all about how I am managing some of the technical aspects of running a blog or website. I hope you learn something from my experience. Thanks for reading, Max  Blind Student and Teacher: using click to tweet adding google business pages ...: Hello again; Well, I hate to interrupt the posts about my past, but I thought I should share some of the recent challenges from my life whil...

Friday, June 27, 2014

well th trick to anything new is the second and third post and so on. hope this one lives up to the faith shown by all my friends. thanks, max Blind Student and Teacher: The story begins

Blind Student and Teacher: The story begins: my story begins Hello again; With any big venture, its never how you start but how you finish. You have to continue to show up and give y...

Friday, June 20, 2014

nofears: Think I'm ready to be an inspiration

nofears: Think I'm ready to be an inspiration: think I'm ready to b an inspiration Hello; Today, I am writing the first post for my new blog, and I'll admit that I'm scared...

Six steps to a safe bounce house party

Hello again; Today, I want to address the recent story about three kids in New York who were injured when the bounce house they were playing in took flight. I want to use this occasion to instruct people on the safe operation of a bounce house. A children's party should be a happy event.


Some facts


The bounce house in question was a little tyke's toy model purchased by one of the parents living in the apartment complex where it had ben set up. They had used the unit several times with no incidents. However, the unit appears to have ben staked down with six inch plastic stakes that were insufficient for the weather conditions they had on that day. Th stakes generally used for a commercial inflatable are 18 inches long and made out of strong metal. They are routinely driven at least half way into the ground, but the freak winds experienced on that day may have still resulted in the moonwalk becoming airborne.


Types of rental companies


There are two basic types of inflatable rental companies. There are full service and self service. In general the self service bounce house rentals are operated out of a party planning store and offer only bounce houses. They will let you pick up the inflatable and trust you to operate it safely and then return it when you are through. The other full service party rental companies will generally offer all kinds of inflatables such as obstacle courses, competitive games, and slides both wet and dry. They will insist on delivering the units to your location or an approved park location, setting them up, and instructing you on the proper use of their equipment. They may even insist on leaving at least one person to supervise the party. Obviously having the items delivered to your home means they will be more expensive to rent. I know in this tight economy everyone is trying to save money wherever they can, but I would strongly encourage you to rent from professionals who will know how to avoid most potential problems.


Should you own a bounce house


Many of you have probably thought about how you could save a lot of money if you just bought your own bounce house. I'm sure that often families or groups of neighbors have thought about pooling their money and buying one to share. I'm not going to tell you not to. I'm just going to give you a few things to think about. And later I'll give you a safety check list. If you are going to buy one, then first check with your home owner's association or land lord to make sure that it will not violate any contractual agreements. Next, check to see what your insurance policy says about injuries that occur on your property or at your residence. Then, be sure to purchase a commercial grade inflatable to provide the maximum level of safety and enjoyment. You can often purchase these from local bounce house companies who are often eager to sell older units as they are under constant pressure to have the latest themed bouncers. You may also purchase a new one from any of the many inflatable manufacturers. But be sure to purchase items made or sold by companies in your state or province. Companies that sell in your hom country will be more able to insure that your item conforms with all the latest safety regulations. I would be happy to consult with you on the purchase of new or used inflatables.


Safety check list



Monday, June 2, 2014

weekly meet up may 28 2014 new rides, indiegogo rewards and a special guest

Hello again; Last night we had another of my weekly video chats concerning the amusement industry and topics related to my efforts to help people sell their equipment. We discussed new additions to the website along with my plans for the upcoming Indiegogo campaign to fund taking the youtube show out on the road. And thanks to my friend Adrienne Smith stopping by, it was one of our best events so far.


Where to find the hangout videos


If you want to see last night's show, then you can click either of the links below.



http://youtu.be/7_E6-oo7N3o


I want to remember to thank Mitchell Walker for continuing to help out by moderating the hangouts. And I want to include a link to his crowd sourcing campaign. He is raising money to start an internet radio station. You can get the details by going to his site www.roguegeeks.com or to the campaign page at http://www.gofundme.com/94fpl8 Mitchell is one of the good guys. I'm not going to say I couldn't do the hangouts without him, but I know I wouldn't want to.


Indiegogo rewards for contributions



Thursday, May 29, 2014

updating hangouts, a new logo, +planning for Indiegogo campaign

Hello again; I wanted to update you on the progress of my google hangouts the creation of a new logo, and the launch of an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for taking the youtube show on the road.

 

Google Hangouts Status


 

The one thing I have learned about google hangouts is that I am still learning. For the past month I had been struggling with the process of starting the hangout and inviting the people on my list who have asked to participate. At first, I thought this was solely caused by a change in the screen you use when logging into a hangout. After three weeks I discovered that I was responsible or at least partly so. I heard an alert from my screen reader about drop box. It reminded me that I use a plug in on my site that routinely backs up my website to drop box. It does this at a pre determined time every week. And yes you guessed it, I had accidentally set the time for this back up to the same time as the hangouts. My computer just couldn't handle the combined strains of a video call, system back up, and a screen reader. After reseting the back up to midnight like it should be, last week's show started much more smoothly. It only took me about two minutes to have the session live and the guests invited. I am just happy I figured it out.

 

Sharing Images And Videos


 

I do have some good news to share. Thanks to help from my friend and hangout regular Chelsea Stark I learned how to share my screen with people during a hangout. This means that I can now share images and even videos from my computer with the audience and have them become part of the video call. They are then included when the hangout is backed up to youtube for later viewing. The instructions were pretty straight forward, but given my experience with Google; I didn't want to try it without practicing first. So Chelsea joined me in a regular hangout to practice. In addition to telling me what she was seeing on her end, she also made suggestions as to what files were good enough to share online. She also explained to me about making sure videos were set to play in full screen. It didn't work perfectly when i did it online, but it did work. And now I feel confident I can share media during the hangouts. I plan to use this to discuss equipment or share interviews with the audience. In the next section I'll tell you how we used this in the process of coming up with a new site logo.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

maxwell ivey is still waiting for you to join Twitter...

 
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Monday, May 5, 2014

Guest Posting: Benefit Everyone by Doing these 9 Things

 

this is a photo of me, Max IveyHello again! Today, I am going to talk about guest posting and the things you could and should do so that everyone will benefit from it.

I thought it would be helpful if I shared some of the things I do and have done to promote other peoples' sites when I have been fortunate enough to be featured on one as the subject of an interview and on another as the guest on a podcast. I'm hopeful that you can learn something from my experience and get even more out of your opportunity.

Most of us are familiar with the benefits of guest posting. By appearing on sites with larger followings and/or better traffic and rankings, our sites gain valued exposure. But thanks to the recent decision by Google to penalize sites and guest authors who do it strictly for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes, opportunities to write guest posts will become fewer and farther between. The standards of those sites willing to risk the wrath of Google will get even higher. And your links will be scrutinized to make sure they are relevant and working. So, in this new world for guest authors, it will become even more critical to give the site owners additional reasons for including your work on their site.

That's where this post comes in.

Today, I will share some of the techniques I have used to promote the sites where I have appeared and give you some ideas for how you can make your next guest post or podcast appearance just as valuable to the site owner as it is for you.

Calliope Corner episode 3 a Chance Wipeout

Hello again; Today, I'm bringing you another episode of the midway's showcase called the calliope corner. This time the subject is the Chance Wipeout I have for sale on the site for $100,000. And as part of the show we will also talk about its predecessor the Chance Trabant. I'll share some of their history along with my own memories. Th first link will be to the video of the whole show. If you don't want to watch it all, you can scan down to the headings that say trabant video or wipeout video to watch just the ride footage.


Full Show Video


You can watch it on my site using this button.



Or you can use this direct link to watch in on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9_Iqveg0fA&feature=youtu.be



Sunday, May 4, 2014

maxwell ivey sent you an invitation

 
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Monday, April 14, 2014

Wednesday night meet up recap April 2, 2014

Hello again; Since there has ben such good response to posts recapping the google hangouts, I thought I would continue the practice. I think we had another good event last Wednesday. And I'm looking forward to an even better one this coming Wednesday April 9, at 10 PM Eastern, 9 PM Central, 7 PM Pacific, etc.


After two very solid shows, this week's was a little bumpy. Google moved the box where i invite people into the hangout after it is started, and it took about half the show to find the box and invite everyone. This meant I was trying to carry on a monologue while searching for the invite people box. I finally found it, and me and Mitchell had a nice conversation about social media. Well, we picked up where I had left off talking about my experiences with the various social media networks. The question came from Ashley Faulkes of www.madlemmings.com and I wish I had done a better job of answering him. I will say now that most all of my social media activity is conducted using email notifications whenever possible.


The Show Video


You can click this link to watch the show video on my site.



And if you want to click a direct link to the video on youtube, then go to


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFNs_FKznF8


Social Media Network History



Monday, March 31, 2014

Blog hop on the writing process

Hello friends; This time I am bringing you a completely different kind of post. This post is part of what is called a blog hop. The best way I can explain it is that it is like a chain letter for bloggers. Each person in the chain writes a post on a given subject or that answers a predetermined set of questions. Then you reference the person who invited you, and you finish by including biographies of and links to three people you have invited to do the same next week. This particular blog hop has to do with the writing process.


If you know me at all, then you know I am all about taking advantage of opportunities even if they aren't the kind you were expecting. When you remember that my primary reason for starting this blog was the promotion of my website and the equipment for sale on it, I find it surprising that I was asked to talk about the writing process. I enjoy writing, and its something I have always ben pretty good at; but I wouldn't have thought of myself in the same category as those who write poems, short stories, and novels. But, Johnny was gracious enough to invite me, so I believe he must see something in my posts that he believes should be shared. And I would never miss the chance to introduce myself to a wider audience.


meet Johnny Bravo


Johnny Bravo


First, let me introduce you to the gentleman who invited me to take part in this blog hop thing. His name is Johnny Bravo and he is in the business of helping professionals sell their brands and take their careers to the next level. Businesses and professionals in every industry come to him for best practices in sales, networking and professional brand development. You can find him at www.salesproblog.com or follow him on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn and Google+


What am I working on?



Wedndsday night meet up recap Mar 26, 2014

Hello again; I had another successful Google hangout this week and I thought the best way I could thank the kind people who participated was to continue writing posts recapping the Wednesday night meet ups. I'm also hoping that comments on these posts will help me refine the events and make them something that people look forward to every week.


The Meet Up Video


Mitchell and I were online right at 9 PM Central. There were no technical issues this time. I thanked Mitchell for continuing to help out. You can watch the youtube video of the entire show by going to the following link.




Saturday, March 29, 2014

Hello; this is the video from my second wednesday night video meet up. I answered a couple of questions and then had a long conversation with william butler from western canada. we talked about his thought and the thoughts of other friends that i should be doing more to inspire and motivate people such as public speaking or coaching. we had two other people who wanted in but hadn't asked in advance so wren't on the list. email with questions or to be included next week. thanks, max wednesday night meet up

3rd time was the charm: I'm now a "hangout on air" master

Hello again; I am writing this post to share the happy news that I finally had my first successful Google video hangout on air. It happened Wednesday night. We did have a couple of hiccups, but we solved them within the first few minutes of the show. I am now confident that I can manage future hangouts. The next step is to build an audience and get more participation.

 

The Youtube Video


After a hangout on air is over, the video is posted to your youtube account. Below is a link to the first successful show. I hope you will at least listen to the first ten minutes or so and tell me how I am doing?

 



 

Starting The Show


 

This week I was more confident, but I still went through the process of getting prepared. I called Mitchell Walker, my moderator with the names of people to add to the hangout on air circle on my google plus account. And I verified that he would be available and online by the start of the event. I signed into the hangout and did everything but press the button to go live. At 09:00PM Central I started the show. I introduced myself. Then, I thanked Mitchell for agreeing to serve as the moderator until I have more experience running a hangout.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Blessed to be featured on two prominent websites

Hello again;This has truly ben a week of blessings. I am honored to have been mentioned on two popular and prestigious blogs. And as my way of saying thank you to their owners I wanted to share their posts with you.


In The Same Breath


I met Ashley Faulkes, owner of Mad Lemmings as a result of leaving comments on another blogger's post. I am not sure whose, but I would bet it was Adrienne Smith's. He eventually reached out to me and offered to help me improve the look and functionality of my website. As a blind computer user and website owner these are things I am constantly worried about. We became great friends. He has become my webmaster, and I trust him completely with my baby something that has ben hard to do. I have known for a while that he considers me an inspiration, but its something I have had trouble accepting myself. Posts like this and the generous comments I have received from others are starting to make me understand that by doing I am inspiring others. I am a big sports fan, and one of the more common sayings in sports is how great it is to be mentioned in the same breath. Now, I am not an athlete and never have ben. But I strive to be the best at what I do which is running my online business. . And as part of this I am a blogger. So, to hear Ashley mention my name with some of the top bloggers in the industry was a great boost to my ego.


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Blind man continues to work towards regular google video hangouts on air

Hello Again; Today, I want to share some things I have learned about google hangouts as I am making the transition from a regular google video hangout to a video hangout on air. I will also share some of the mistakes made, problems found, and planned solutions. But before I get to the meat of this post I need to send out my heart felt apologies to those great friends of mine who tried to participate in last night's first hangout on air. I am sorry to have wasted your time and the opportunity to start building my audience. I can assure you that I am working on finding solutions. And for anyone who knows me, they know I'm not going to give up easily especially when I can feel the potential of this service.


Types Of Hangouts


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Hi; i just read this post. I am subscribed to a linked in group for bloggers to share their posts. Very seldom does a post make me feel so much emotion. You can hear her love for books and her passion for putting them in the hands of young kids. If you don't tear up after reading it, there is something wrong with you. You should really check it out. thanks, Max Not Otherwise Specified: My Weekend Trip to Atlanta

Not Otherwise Specified: My Weekend Trip to Atlanta: Most of my work days are spent here at my desk at home, copy editing scholarly books, usually on topics of education. It's interesting w...

Calliope Corner episode 2 the sky coaster from opryland

Hello again; Today, I am happy to announce that I have finally completed episode two of the midway's video showcase. I am continuing to call it the calliope corner until something better comes along. However, that name is starting to grow on me. This time the video is about the sky coaster ride that used to b at Opryland Theme Park in Nashville Tennessee.


photo of 173 ft. sky coaster taken while still on location at opryland theme park in nashville tennessee


And like the first episode, the show features a video provided by the ride's owner along with background information and my own personal commentary about the attraction. You can watch the entire show by clicking the link below. It lasts about sixteen minutes all together. Or if you prefer, you can scan down to where it says riding the sky coaster and play just the ride video. I hope you enjoy it.



What Is A Sky Coaster?


2nd actual photo of the sky coaster from opryland


For those of you who aren't familiar with these attractions a sky coaster is a ride where passengers are winched up to the top of a tower and then dropped off of it. They then swing back and forth at the end of a steel cable until gravity brings them to a stop. It is meant to give people the illusion of flight. And who among us hasn't dreamt of or pretended to fly like one of the super heroes.




My first google video hangout tune in next week

Hello again; As many of you know I am not easily satisfied with my efforts to help my clients sell their equipment. I am always looking for some additional edge or new technique that will lead to more successful sales. So, this week I decided to try a google video hangout for the first time. I thought I would share my experience using this system as a blind computer user and business owner.


Why Try A Google Plus Video Hangout?


Recently, I was reading an article about how google hangouts especially video hangouts could be a great way to grow your business. It got me to thinking about how many of my clients have asked me if I would be attending the next major trade show hoping to meet me in person and put a face and voice with the name. And how I have regretted not being able to attend any of these trade shows or conventions yet. I also thought about the many people who have recently commented about how I am an inspiration to them, and I thought this might be a chance fore them to meet me and ask questions. It might give me a chance to further encourage and motivate some people who just need a little shot of positive energy. so I thought I could help myself and maybe help some other people at the same time.



A blind person's experience with Pinterest

Hello friends! Recently, I have been working on an interview with a friend of mine who runs a blog about writing called Wording Well. Her name is Lorraine Reguly, and we will shortly be co-authoring a post about yours truly. She has encouraged me to be more open about the fact that I am blind and share some more about how I manage my life in general and this website in particular. She was surprised that a blind person is on Pinterest much less that I seem to be building a following there and am actually using it to promote sales of amusement equipment and related items. She wanted to hear how I do this and thought I should write a post to share my experience with the rest of you. I hope you enjoy the post. I have never thought of anything I do as being all that special. However, the more that I interact with people the more I am realizing I am an inspiration to many of you. So, I am embracing that role and sharing some of how I do this with you. Feel free to forward any questions about me in particular or blind people in general. I like to think I am unique, but I'm sure I can help with any of your questions.

Pinterest screen shotWhy I joined

Caliope Corner Episode 1 featuring a chance park model carousel

Hello again; This week I am proud to announce that I have finally recorded the first episode of The Midway Showcase which will be a regular show based on the amusement industry. The plan is to include interviews with industry leaders, visits to notable amusement based businesses, and the proper display of equipment available on the site. Like all things I do, the ultimate goal is to improve my chances of finding new homes for the rides, games, inflatables, vehicles, concessions machines, etc that have been entrusted to me.

 

Click Below To Watch Th Show


 



 

Chance Park Model Carousel


 

Chance Park Carousel 01

 

This week's featured item is a 1997 Chance Rides park model carousel for $89,999. The ride is in good mechanical and cosmetic condition. Its current owners had been operating it for about four years now. It has 14 horses and one chariot. According to the manufacturer's specifications